Hey all, after a long time I am selling my project and buying an SN, specifically a 5.0 I am going to buy a convertible with 5spd. Now I am not familiar with these cars, and I know each model has its quirks. So I was wondering if there are known "problem" spots?, things that wear out, break, cause problems??
The only thing I've ever had a problem with was my release/throwout bearing. Other than that, I don't think there are any problems... maybe a synchro issue with the tranny... i just replaced the original top after 12 years... seats should be recovered... but nothing abnormal with a vert compared to a coupe.
Make sure the top is in good condition.. I just replaced mine and it's a PITA. even though the top was only 200 bucks.... Still took about 30 hours to complete the install
Yeah somebody keying your new top (??) is going to **** you the f**k off. Watch out for that rather rare scenario...grrr.
Leaky water pump Leaky radiator I'd also remove the grey trunk panel on the passenger side and check for water down in the corner. My car had a water leak around the gas filler that let water get in there and caused some rust. With 196K miles, my Mustang convertable has never left me stranded on the side of the road.
:OT: 30 Hours??? What made that take so long? When I did mine it was about 8 hours with a lunch break. Of course I did already know how to take the interior apart from the time I left my top down and it rained
get subframe connectors right away....something that will help the car not be pig slow would help too
Well, I didn't know what I was doing and that was the time included to go out and buy the extra parts and such.. It took me a good weekend.
This may help http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=511620&highlight=issues , i hope i didn't push you away from buying 94-95
Would take some MAJOR issues with the bodystyle to get me to not buy one. In Fact I already locked one down and go pick it up tomorrow!!!!
Just a thought- The used car market is going to be "flooded" with a ton of flood damaged cars from Rita/Katrina, if you are looking to buy a used car, even if you don't live in the affected areas of damage you should still be weary. A lot of unscrupulous sellers are taking these flood damaged cars out of state and getting them retitled and resold as good used cars so just make sure you use some common sense and carfaxes will be a good help (but not fullproof). As for convertibles the most obvious thing would be to check the condition of the top- check the backglass where the glass seals to the fabric, also check the corners for telltale cracking (it happens to all vinyl tops) near the rear quarter glass where the top folds when retracted. Also check for recall issues (the fan relay is the big one that comes to mind). I guess the bottom line is to do some research before committing to buy any used car- look for signs of hidden damage (checking framerails in the engine bay, and also check in the trunk as well for signs), new paint, any signs of flood damage, etc. Taking a few extra minutes and getting a carfax could mean the difference between getting a good used car and a nice lemon lawn ornament.
